Wednesday, June 2, 2010

The Cruellest Months

T.S.Eliot had his own reasons to call April the cruellest month and I tend to agree with him , though for a different reason. Only I would include May as well. I speak for myself and thousands of Government employees like me , who have transferable jobs. April and May constitute the transfer season , awaited by some and dreaded by others. For some, it is time to pull the strings to get postings in more comfortable places after a tenure in the hard area or otherwise an inconvenient place , who consider themselves lucky if the efforts prove fruitful. For those already in the comfort zone, it is the fear of getting disturbed due to likely transfer during the season. The fear though is not unfounded, due to personal and domestic circumstances .Especially if you have school/college going children it involves getting fresh admission, and in most of the cases a hunt for suitable residential accommodation at affordable rent. Even otherwise if there are no personal or domestic problems staring in the face, there are adjustments to be made in the new environment with new colleagues and altogether different nature of job as well. In a sense , this is similar to a girl leaving for in laws' house , where she is expected to make all adjustments and contribute to bring happiness and comfort to all in her new home.Everyone who has a transferable job has had bitter-sweet experiences . “ Ring out the old and ring in the new " seems to be the 'in' thing . You may come across mixed reactions – for this you have to be an expert in face reading- some may think of your transfer as good riddance , while some - even though for a short while - may not take your going out easy . Well , depends on kind of rapport you have had with the permanent members of the clan ! Invariably , people are forced to tell some lies while making farewell speeches. It is not difficult to judge where the catch is. After all , you are the best judge as far as you are concerned. . In new office , you are seemingly always welcome . Rest assured , the guys have already inquired as to what type of person you are , and have sufficient feedback and information about you from the sources, unknown to you. Little wonder if your attention is drawn to the list of your predecessors displayed on the board -for whatever reason called 'Honour Board' -in front of you suggesting you are the ..th incumbent and thus making you mindful of the transient nature of things and also the fact that after sometime you get reduced to a number and a name !